Stylus for lateral-cut phonograph records



Sept. 22, 1925.

i E. M. GRILLEY ET AL STYLUS FOR LATERAL cu'r' PHONOGRAPH iwconps FiledJan. V 24 1921 ATTOiM/EY .Patentecl Sept. 22, 1925.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.nrmnsr M. GR'ILLEY, or WATERBURY, AND FRANKLIN e. NEUBER'IH, orAnsoNIA,

- I conunc'rrcur.

srYL -s m. LATERAL-CUT PEONOGRAPH nncortns.

Application filed 'January 24, 1921. Serial 1%. 439,454.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNEST M. GRILLEY and FRANKLIN G. NEUBERTH,citizens of the United States, and residents of Waterbury and Ansonia,respectively, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new'and useful Improvements in Styli for Lateral-CutPhonoe graphic Records, of which the following is 1 a specification.

The invention relates to a stylus for playing lateral-cut phonographicrecords.

It has for is object to provide a con-' struction for styli of this typewhich will allow of the use of a stylus not abraded to any' appreciabledegree by the material composing the record. A stylus of this characterwill, therefore, be permanent or substantially permanent, that is tosay, of

such a nature as to allow of the playing of a great number of recordsbefore the point becomes so worn as to be no longer suitable for playingpurposes. A further object of the invention consists in providinga-stylus having a hard, highly polished working surface whereby the samewill burnish the record indentationsrather than out same as is the casewith the present type of steel and similar needles generally employed,thereby 80 preveiiting wearing ofthe record. A still further object ofthe invention consists in the feature of so shaping the operating pointas to give maximum strength and to reduce lateral vibration, also inmaintaining the shape of the working surface to insure proper contactintra'veling thru the grooves of the record, thereby greatly reducingrecord noises and scratching and rendering possible the reproduction ofdifiicult high notes,

which may not -be attempted by the use of steel and other known needlesnow generally employed for, .playing lateral-cut records and rapidlyworn byatherecord material. v

The nature of the invention will best be understood when described;-.in' connection with the 'accompanyn; f drawings, 'in...

which v Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side and front elevation of theimproved stylus in? playing position. i

3 and4 are detail side and front elevations of the improved stylus. a

similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts thruoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a cylindrical shank or mountingmember designed to have set therein an operating point 11 adapted to fitthe grooves 12 of a phonographic record 13 of the lateral-cut type. Themember- 1O is designed to be received and retained in th usual mannerwithin a stylus holder 14 carried by the sound box 15. It is preferred,however, in order to insure location of the working surfaces of thestylus point 11 with reference to the grooves 12, to provide themounting menu her or shank 10 with a triangularor like groove 16, Fig.3. The groove 16 is formed in the upper end of the shank 10 which fitswithin the socket 17 of the holder 14; and it is designed to receive theusual set screw 18 whose axis generally located at right angles to thediaphragm 18" of the sound box. In this manner, the correct playingposition of the stylus point 11 in the groove 12 is assured, namely withits wider portion parallel to the sides of the groove and to thediaphragm. Furthermore, it is preferred to weaken the shank 10 in itsplane of travel, as by providing indentations or depressions 19transversely of same. This may be effected by milling out the shank; butit is preferred. to swage the same, the

surplus material 20 therefrom then'extending over the intermediateportions. By this expedient, surface noises are further reduced in thatthe stylus may the plane of .its travel.-

The operating point 11 may be set or mounted within the member 10 in.any wellknown or special manner; and, in accord ance with the invention,is so constituted and shaped in a novel manner as to secureexceptionally long life of the stylus and better reproduction thrulesser friction in traveling the grooves. Record noises and scratchingare thereby greatly reduced and is possible, also, to render thereproducn of difficult high notes. To this end,

relatively narrow. as compared to its thickhave a vibration in e portion11, constituting the operating ness, being about one-half of the same.It

is this narrow portion which ridesin the grooves 12 of the record, thesurfaces of the wider sides contacting with the indentations in thesides of the grooves for reproduction of the sound. The one edge 21,adapted to ride in the lower portion of a groove, is rounded, beingpreferably made circular with a radius equal to substantially one-halfthe width of the point which is tapered thereto. Furthermore, the lower.end of the point is also roundedat right follow the indentations 12 ofthe record.

By thus also rounding the sides of the playing point there is no dangerof a double reproduction thru the said point engaging portions of thegrooves not diametrically opposed to each other when the needle assumesa slight twist during its travel over the record.

As a suitable material for the point, we

have found precious and semi-precious stones, for example diamond,sapphire, ruby,

garnet, agate and like substances particularly satisfactory, especiallysuch materials as exceed (6.) in the scale of hardness. For mostpurposes, we have found sapphire to be most excellent; but we do notdesire to strict ourselves to the use of the particular substances setforth, as other materials which will not have an appreciable abrasiveaction on the record may be employed. It is desirable, also, to give theworking surfaces of the point a high polish; and it has been found thatthis polish will be maintained during use in that the extremely slightabrasive action thereon of the record serves to polish the same ratherthan to cut the point as is the case with the steel needle generallyemployed for lateral-cut records. Moreover, we have found that if theshank in which this point material is set be of tool steel, animprovemcnt'in the reproduction is obtained by the use of suchcombination in playing a lateralcut record.

We claim:

( 1. Permanent stylus for playing lateralcut phonographic records,comprising a suitable mounting member and a flattened operating pointset therein whose lower end is of a thickness substantially one-half ofthe width of the point and the side faces being conoidal.

2. Permanent stylus for playing lateralcut phonographic records,comprising a suit-' able mounting member and a flattened operating pointset therein and the side faces being conoidal and of a radius ofcurvature in excess of the -width of said point. 3. Permanent stylus forplaying lateralcut phonograph'ic records, comprising a suitable mountingmember and a flattened operating point set therein whose lower end is ofa thickness substantially one-half its width ando having its bottom edgerounded in directions at right angles to each other, the radius ofcurvature of the narrow .portion being substantially twice that of theradius of curvature at right angles thereto and the side faces beingconoidal.

Signed at Thomaston, in the county of Litchfield and State ofConnecticut, this 20th day of January A. D. 1921.

ERNEST M. GRILLEY.

FRANKLIN G. NEUB ERTH.

